Friday, July 18, 2008

Everyone has a dream job. Whether it's the glamour of Hollywood, the corner office furnished in mahogany and leather, or simply a home office to run your own business, you have a job in mind as the ideal job.

My husband Nate has always loved trains and transit. His fondest memories as a child include playing hooky from first grade with his Dad to tape record the noises of the last ride on Boston's elevated rail line, and scavenging a "T" decal from a retired trolley to put on the side of the family Volvo. He wrote his undergraduate thesis on the construction of the subways in Boston and New York and how they changed the face of public transit. This is a man whose idea of a dream vacation includes getting there on the Amtrak Acela (he's very persuasive; I'd take the Acela over a car or plane any day too).

And now, after five years of project management in the non-profit sector, three years of grueling graduate school work to become a Master of City Planning, Nate is living the dream. Yesterday he landed a job at a transit planning firm in downtown Boston; he starts next month as a Transportation Planner, Public Process Specialist. He will now be paid to do what he does all the time anyway: tell people how public transit can make their lives easier.

Amazing as it is, I can only be thrilled for him. Although I haven't yet found a job myself, I can't help but be overwhelmingly happy. The fact that he will get to do something he adores for work is incredible (I wish I could find someone to pay me to watch M*A*S*H reruns).

The lesson in all of this is hard work. Many people told him that he wouldn't get a job until he finished his graduate degree. And yes, that was true (he just finished last month). But he didn't just sit on his hands doing school work while he worked toward the eventual degree. He talked to every class speaker, landed many informational interviews, bonded with his professors. He now has a very solid network in a very close knit field to draw upon, and he can continue to build those relationships into a career network foundation. In group projects, he was the ultimate team player, and now has good relationships with fellow alumni who work in a range of fields, from economic development to City governance. He took advantage of the fact that our local councilman works out at the same gym, and gained a lot of new contacts through him.

So, hats off to Nate, for 1) Landing Your Dream Job and 2) Setting a great example for how others can do the same.